The high school football season is halfway home, and the first half had plenty of surprises.
Clearwater is the center of the county’s football world. Two city teams are unbeaten, and two more are winning. The passing game is booming, too, with one Clearwater receiver chasing 1,000 yards and a Largo senior setting a school record.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg Catholic, a preseason state title pick, is fighting to get above .500. At Northeast, one running back stayed while others left, and he’s making the most of it. Some of the county’s best teams have found a way to win with two quarterbacks.
Here’s a look at the stories that shaped the first half, and the numbers behind them.
Clearwater rules at midseason
At the midpoint of the high school football season, the best address in Pinellas County is Clearwater.
Two city teams are unbeaten as of Sept. 30. A third has lost once. A fourth has already topped last year’s win total.
Clearwater High leads the way at 6-0. The Tornadoes have allowed just 36 points all season and have three shutouts. They blanked Northeast 41-0 on Sept. 25 as quarterback Jaysean Glenn threw four touchdown passes, three to Joseph Archer.
Clearwater Central Catholic is 5-0. Dual-threat quarterback Khayse Barrett leads a run-first offense, and the defense piled up 17 sacks through four games. The Marauders ground out a 14-10 win at Tampa Catholic on Sept. 25, their lowest-scoring game of the year. Next up is a trip to Cardinal Mooney, the reigning Class 2A state champion, on Oct. 2.
Calvary Christian is 4-1. The Warriors’ only loss came against CCC, 42-7, on Sept. 11. They bounced back with a 23-21 district win at Boca Ciega.
Then there’s Countryside. The Cougars went 0-10 in 2024 and 3-7 last fall. Now they’re 4-2 and in the playoff mix. Quarterback Cam Waddington threw five touchdown passes in a 49-0 rout of Anclote on Sept. 25.
The best might be saved for last. Clearwater and CCC meet later this season with city bragging rights on the line.
Big plays, big numbers
This might be the year of the receiver.
Clearwater senior Joseph Archer is on a tear. He opened the season with 264 receiving yards against East Lake and added 205 against St. Petersburg. Through six games, he has 29 catches for 752 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s nearly 26 yards a catch.
Archer needs 248 yards in the Tornadoes’ last four regular-season games to reach 1,000. At his current pace of 125 yards a game, he’ll get there with room to spare. He ranks sixth in Florida in receiving yards, according to MaxPreps.
Largo senior Cyncere Matthews made history of his own. He set a school record with 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a 46-12 win over Tarpon Springs on Sept. 4. He has 390 yards and five scores this season.
What happened to the Barons?
St. Petersburg Catholic was supposed to contend for a state title. At midseason, the Barons are 2-3.
A year ago, they went 12-1 and won their first district title in 20 years. This fall, a tougher schedule has caught up with them. Tampa Catholic beat them 48-39 in a shootout. Lennard won 32-14. Clearwater Central Catholic rolled 35-11 on Sept. 18.
The offense can still score. Quarterback Chase Burrill, who set a Pinellas County record with 53 touchdown passes last season, threw for 367 yards in the opener, a 41-26 win over Gibbs. The Barons also put up 37 points in a win over SFA.
There’s still time to turn it around. The losses came outside the district, and the Barons opened Class 1A-8 play Oct. 2 at Zephyrhills Christian after a week off. The game that matters most comes Oct. 23 at Carrollwood Day. Win there, and the season could still turn.
The one who stayed
Northeast lost eight players to transfers this offseason. Jamel Rowe wasn’t one of them.
The junior running back stayed, and he has carried the Vikings ever since. Rowe leads Pinellas County with 739 rushing yards. He has topped 135 yards in four of five games, including a season-high 188 in a 48-17 win over Indian Rocks Christian.
He’s doing it on a thin roster and without a real home early in the season. Mold problems at the stadium forced Northeast to move some home games.
Rowe also plays outside linebacker. Last season, as a sophomore, he ran for 178 yards. He passed that total in his first two games this fall.
Two quarterbacks, no problem
Most teams ride one quarterback. Three area teams are winning with two.
Clearwater Central Catholic has the deepest pair. Senior Khayse Barrett is the starter and a threat to run on every snap, but senior Sean Hickey II is more than a backup. In the opener, Barrett threw for 109 yards and ran for 125, and Hickey added 97 passing yards in a 28-24 win over Palmetto. When Barrett sprained his ankle against St. Petersburg Catholic on Sept. 18, the Marauders rotated both and pulled away for a 35-11 win. Hickey ran for a touchdown.
Largo has split time between junior Dylan Lester and freshman Braylon Strouble. Strouble has thrown for 764 yards and five touchdowns, and Lester has 490 yards and six scores. Put together, their 1,254 passing yards would lead the county. The Packers are 4-2.
Calvary Christian has done the same with junior Jaden Quenga and freshman Gabriel Vetter. Quenga adds a running threat. Early in the season, he had five touchdown passes and Vetter had four. The Warriors are 4-1.
Depth like that pays off in November, when one hit can end a season.
Stat leaders
Pinellas County leaders through Sept. 25, according to MaxPreps.
Passing
1,242 Chase Burrill, SPC
1,214 Jordan Calvin, Gibbs
1,186 Cam Waddington, Countryside
1,077 Jaysean Glenn, Clearwater
1,042 Noah Walstad, Boca Ciega
Rushing
739 Jamel Rowe, Northeast
727 Steven Alexis, Gibbs
712 Erick Fitzpatrick, Tarpon Springs
695 Brian Ford, East Lake
668 Jhai Hitchcock, Pinellas Park
Receiving
752 Joseph Archer, Clearwater
503 Shrodderick Pritchett Jr., SPC
454 Gary Mitchell, Boca Ciega
424 Kai Johnson, Countryside
400 Luke Wilson, CCC